Apparatus for handling seed-cotton.



' N0. 897,079 A PATENTED AU 25, 1908.

J. T. FULLER. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SEED COTTON.

APYLIGA'Z'IOS IiLED JULY 5, 1902.

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Witnesses 7 93441301 1? 8%, h Sflozmzyf Mm4... MW

PATENTED AUG. 25, 1908.

APPLIOATIOR IILBDJULY 6, 1902.

3 SHEET 8 33321 2.

PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903.

. A. T. FULLER. APPARATUS FOR HANDLINGSEED cow'ron.

Anmnlon rum JULY 5 1902.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES r. FULLER, or CALVERT, Texas, ASSIGNQR 'ro r ctiaaii corrox GIN COMPANY, A

. CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

- APYABATUS FOB HANDLING SEED-COTTON.

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1908.

Application flied July 6, 1902. Serial No. 112,408.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it lnc-wn that 1, JAMES T. FULLER, a citizen oi the J'nited States, and a resident of Calvnt, Robertson county, Texas, have in- .yomod certain new and useful Im rovements in A paratus for Handling SeedECotton, of whicli thefollowing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this spcciticatio My invention relates to apparatus for elovating seed cotton and also to ap aratus for feeding the cotton to the gins, an the object thereof is the provision of means by which these results are accomplished.

The improved apparatus which I have devised for elevating the cotton is o erated pneumatically and is arranged to dchverthc cotton fi'ffliotgin feeding devices, which comprise mta'fixanism for separating: and cleaning the cotton and feeding it to the gins in proper condition for the ginning operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a scctionalyiew of a gin-house showing the cotton elevator connected with a battery of three gin feeders in elevation; Fig. 2 is an elevation, (partly in section on the line 22 Fig. 3) showing a section of the elevator conduits and feeding devices; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3, (Fig. 2); Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the mechanism for varying the relative speed of the feeding and delivery drums on an enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is a 1,. detail vicivshowinguiorc clear-l the construc- =5 tion of the valve which contro communica:

' tion between the supply pipe and the feeding and cleaning devices.

Similar reference characters are. employed to designate corresponding parts. in all the views. i T he preferred formof ap aratus embody- .ing my invention which I lave selected for illustration and description comprises the cotton supply pipe 1, provided with a telescoping end 2, connected with a counterweight 3, by means of which the cotton is taken direct from the wagons in whichit is brought to the gin-house and carried to the feeders. The op osite end of the supply pipe 1 is closed y a suitable cap. It cx tends over the tops of the feeders A, B and C, and is in communication, by the exhaust pipe 5, with the exhaust fan 6, as will be present! described. i It wil be understood that any convenient number of feeders may be connected with this pneumatic elevating system. In' Fig. l I have illustrated a. battery consisting of three feeders, but as the construction and connections of all the feeders A, B and C are similar, I will limit my description thereof to the feeder A. The feeder comprises a gravit-y feeding trunk 7, terminating at its up or end in an enlargement which forms an inc osing chamber for a screen 8, of perforated sheet metal or wire gauze, carried by'spiders 9, mounted on the shaft 10, journalcd in supporting bearings 11, secured to the frame of V the ap aratus. The screen 8, in that particular em odiment of my ep aratus illustrated in the drawings, is arranger to l -e continuously rotated, (in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 3), during the feeding operation, and this rotation is ciiccted by connecting the screen with the shaft 15, by means of thebevel gears 16 and 17, shat t .18, and gears 20. A clutch 21 is pro vidcd to throw the gears .20, into and out of operative engagement. The screen 8, is mounted in the chamber at the upper'end of the trunk 7, so as to provide a connecting passage 23, which partially surrounds tlie sc recn and conu'nupicates at its u )er en! witn the cotton *.u i c'l, am ai. its lower end with the fcedi iigil ii k 7.

The ends of the chamber, in which the screen 8, is mounted, are formed with circular openings into which the ends of the screen project slightly, as shown in Fie' and over to; openings are secured ipes or thimbles 25 and 26. On one side 0 the feeder A, the thimole .25 is closed air tight by a suitable cover 27, while the pipe or thimble 26, on the other side of the feeder, is connected with the thimble on the next feeder in the battery, the last feeder 0, being connected with the air exhaust pipe 5, as shown. The space between the cotton supply pipe and the top of the screen 8, (Fig. 3), is etl'cctively closed against the passage of air by the inclined flange 38.

Arms 30, are loosely mounted on the shaft it), outside the ends of the screen, and secured to them is a swinging alve 31, which comprises the sector-shaped portion 32, extending along the surface of the screen 8, and the radially projecting portion 33, which, when the feeder is not in action, will close the passage '23, below' the screen. T he valve 31, is,provided with suitable air retaining strips 34 and 35, of rubber or other suitable ma' terial, and is preferabl so shaped or weight "d that when the fee er is not in actions or when the feeder trunk 7, or the upper part thereof, is free from cotton, the valve will automatically assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thus effectively cuttingand screen from-the others in the battery.

The trunk 7 at its lower endis connected with. r. suitable inclosing chamber in which are located the feeding-separating and cleaning devices. These comprise a feeding drunr 50, provided with arms or spikes 51, and mounted to rotate on shaft 91, in suitable bearings. Pivot-ally supported in front of the drum is the compressing plate 52, to the lower side of which is secured a bar 53, the ends of which project through slots 54, in the side frames of the apparatus. The function of the plate 52 is to resent and hold the compressed cotton to the action of the spikes 51. s

The ends of the bar 53, outside the frame are connected on each side of the machine wiilra tension spring 55, (F 4). The tension of each spring is adjusts. le by means of a bolt 56, to which the spring is secured and which is threaded in 8- lug 57, on each side of the machine. An adjustable sto 58, arranged in the path of movement o each end of the bar 53, limits the outward movement of the plate 52.

A delivery drum 60, provided with projvct-ing arms 61, is journaled in the frame of the machine below the feeding drum 50. The drums 5') and 60, are arranged to revolvo in the direction shown by the arrows, (Fig. 3), and below the drum 60, is a screen (.2, over which the cotton is carried on its way to thechute 63, which communicates directly with the gin. The refuse passing through the screen 62, collects in the chamber 64, and is carried oil through the refuse enhaust pipe 65, or by means of any suitable conveyer. The pipe is suitably connected uith the fan 6. It will only be necessary to operate the refuse-exhaust occasionally, and provisionwill therefore be made for o ning and closing communication between t e pi ms 65 and the blower 6 by means of a suitable valve 67 or, if a separate fan-be employ'ed,-for starting and stopping it when rc-' quired.

It is desirable, and for the best results necessary, that the drums 50 and 60 should revolve at different speeds and that provision should be made for varyin their relative speed, and in Fig. 4 I have s iown on an enlarged scale novel mechanism for effecting the result. The drum'50 is arranged to re' volve very slowly while the rotational speed of the drum 60 is much higher and the mechanism which I have devised for accomplishing the result above mentioned, comprises a disk 70, secured to the shaft 150i the drum 60, at one side ofthe machine. The drum i 60, is driven b a belt 72, (F i 2), which connects it with t e driving shaft of the gin. A shaft 73 journaled in suitable bearings 74, and 75, is arranged to extend diametrically over the surface of the disk 70. The bearing 74 is suiliciently loose to permit a slight swinging movement of the shaft 73 and the hear ing 75, consists of a sliding block mounted in the guide 76. A block 77, rovidcd with a between it and the journal block 75,,is arranged a spring 79. The block 77 may be moved in" and out in the guide 76,. and is held in different positions therein bythe pin 80, which passes through it and through holes in guide 76. A friction wheel 82, is splined handle 78, is also carried by t e guide 7 6,.and

to the shaft 73', and when the block 77, is

moved inwardl and locked in'position, the wheel 82,will 0 held firmly but yieldingly against the disk 70, by the pressure of the spring 79., By removing the pin 80, and moving the block 77, towards the end of the guide 76, as shownin Fig. 2, the pressure on the wheel 82 will not be sufficient to hold it in operative engagement with the dish 70. Below the shaft 73 a rod 83 is mounted in suitable bearings and is provided with a hand wheel 84; Flanges 85 are mounted rigidly on the rod 83 so as to inclose the sides of the wire-e132. One end of the rod 83 is threaded and one of its bearin 86 is correspondingly threaded, so that as t e rod 83, is turned. the wheel 82, willbe carried toward or away from the center of the disk 70, depending on the direction in which the rod is turned, "A-

worm'87,is secured to the end of the shaft 7 and is arranged to mesh with the pinion 88, to which is secured the pinion 89, (Fig. 2}, which meshes with the gear 90,carried by the shaft 91, of the feeding drum 50. Thus the movement of the drum 60, will be imparted to the drum 50, but the speedwill be very much reduced and may,'wi' thin the necessary limits, be varied by turning the hand-wheel with respect to the center of the disk 70, the speed being increased by moving the wheel 82 away from the shaft 7,1, and decreased by moving it nearer.

Each feeder is carried by from the weight of the apparatus.

The operation of the ap aratuswhich I have described needs but i tle further description.

having been laced and adjusted 0ver.t

The end 2 of the supply pipee cotton to be gmned, the exhaust fan 6 being in operation, draws the cotton up into the 84, to change the position of the whecl'82,

supply pipe, whence it passes into the connecting passage 23. The gin having meantime been started, the screen 8, is rotated,

' that port-ion 33, of the va ve 31, which closes the entrance to the trunk 7. As the cotton accumulates in the passage 23, the wei ht and feeding action thereof, produced hy the draft and revolving screen, will overcome the weight of the valve and it will be carried into the position shown in full lines, (Fi 3) and the cotton will then fall into the trunk 7 and be carried by the spikes on the drum 50, down between it and the plate 52 when it will be engaged by the delivery drum, by which itwill he carried over the screen 62, and delivered into the gin through the chute 63. When the supply of cotton is exhausted and the passage 23, and 11 per portion of the trunk 7, are emptied, the 'alve 31, will close automatically, shutting oil the trunk 7 from the screen and preventing the entrance of air through the trunk. Thus the operation of the elevator will not be intcrfcrcd with, and the necessity of waiting, before commencingon, another customers cotton, until all the cotton in the feeder is ginned out is avoided, as a new lot may be started on as soon as the valve 31 closes, which is readily observable through the sight opening 37. The screen in rotating continuously presents a fresh or uncovered surface to the entering cotton and the clogging of the screen and consequent stoppage of the exhaust is ab solutely prevented. I am thus enabled to employ a continuous, as distinguished from an intermittent exhaust system and can use a smaller fan without providing an mechanical devices for keeping the feeder trunk closed during the feeding operation. The continuous presentation of the fresh surface of the screen also results in a continuous screening action facilitating the removal of the free dust in the cotton and preventing the clogging of the screen by loose fibers which frequently occurs in elevating apparatus in which a' stati0nary screcn is employed. The plate 52 holds the cotton in a compressed condition to the action of the spikes on the feeding cylinder until it'is carried past the date 52 by the spikes on the feeding drum, w ich draw the fibers out and thus any lumps are prevented from catering and clogging the gin.

Having thus described my invention, what- I claim new and desire to securehy Letters Patent is:

1. In a cotton feeding apparatus, the combination with a cotton supply pipe, :1 screen, an air exhaust pipe connected vn'th the supply pipe through the screen and a valve operating by gravity to close the feeding trunk without interrupting: the air exhaust through the screen, substantially as setforth.

2. In a gin feeding apparatus, the combination of a gravity l'cedmg trunk, a cotton supply pipe, a connecting passage hctwecn the trunk and the supply i1c,a movable screen between the trunk and tnesupply pipe,

a pneumatic exhaust pipe connected wit h the supply pipe through the screen, a. segmental.

swinging \alvc between the connecting pas sage and the trunk arranged tohe opt-nod by the movement of the cotton in the connecting passage and to close by gravity when the movement of the cotton in said passage is arrested or the supply thereof discontinued, substantially as set forth.

3. in a gin l'ccding apparatus, the combination of a gravity feeding trunk, a cotton supply pipe, :1 connecting passage bctwccn the trunk and the supply pipe, a rotating screen between the trunk and the supply pipe, pneumatic exhaust pipe connected with the supply pi us through the screen, a swinging segmental valve between the con necting passage and the trunk arranged t bc 0 iencd by the movement of the col-ton in the connecting passage and to close by gravity when the movement of the cotton in said passage is arrested or the supply thereof discontinued, substantially as set forth.

4. In apparatus for feeding cotton, 1nechanism for cll'ccting a variation in the relative speed of the feeding and delivery drums, comprising a rotating disk mounted on the shaft of the delivery drum, :1 wheel which engages with the surfamof said disk, a shaft upon which said wheel is slidably mounted, means for adjusting and holding said wheel in dillcrent positions relatively to the center of said disk and gears connecting said shaft with the feeding drum, substantially as set forth.

JAMES T. FULLER. Witnesses S. G. METCALF, LAUCHLIN MoLnAN. 

